Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Something New I Learned About Freelance Writing Today

I learn new things about freelance writing almost every day. Some of
these discoveries are pretty awesome in my own humble opinion, and I enjoy
sharing them with my friends. My freelance writing – let’s call it “epiphany” for
lack of a better term – epiphany for today involves a new avenue for client
prospecting that ties in perfectly with the tried and true method of building
niche expertise and online presence: good old fashioned community involvement.

And by community involvement I mostly mean participation in
forums, blogs, Q&A sites and any other medium that will help establish your expertise in a niche. That’s the tried and true method I mentioned
before, and it will aid you in growing your name on the Internet. However, certain
platforms, especially the forum, offer additional opportunities in the form of
potential clientele.

Today, I hit a hidden jackpot on the forum, a goldmine of possible earnings. It probably wasn’t as much hidden as I am blind, but I realized that legitimate employers actually post on forums looking for writers.
And they do it a lot. You can find virtually any type of freelance writing job posted
on one of the variety of writing forums on the Internet. A lot of times the
projects are far more interesting than what you pick up from job-board sites or
private orders. From what I saw today on a number of freelance writing forums,
the pay is far better in many cases as well. For example, one post asked for
short children’s stories of 2,000 words or less. They were offering up to 25
cents a word.

The vetting process couldn’t be better. On that same thread,
members asked the OP for proof that it was a legitimate project. Forum members are notoriously thorough and these guys left no stone upturned. Once the publisher had proved her legitimacy, writers began submitting work and getting paid. Several reported earning
.17 to .20 cents per word for their stories. The cool thing is that this is just one
of the many opportunities I found on forums today. I’m kicking myself that I
didn’t notice it sooner, but I hope from my ignorance you will gain knowledge. By
the way, the client is still accepting submissions. Here is the forum and the
client site if you’re interested in the opportunity. It's a little old at this point but apparently the company is still buying stories. I'm writing one up myself.

So, to make a long story short, be sure to practice
community involvement regularly and keep an eye open for freelance writing jobs
along the way.

If you've had any freelance writing epiphanies, please share them for the people in the comments. As I believe I mentioned, I learn several things new every day. I'd like to learn something from you, today.